GDHQNHL15_2pg-Florida Panthers 1

Calgary Flames Gameday HQ

Florida
PANTHERS
Key Additions:
Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen,
Willie Mitchell, Shawn Thornton
Key Subtractions:
Tom Gilbert, Scott Clemmensen,
Jesse Winchester
Strengths:
Influx of veterans, young
talented forwards, goaltending
Weaknesses:
Lacking big scoring threat,
defense, special teams
Offense
The Florida Panthers are coming off of a down year where their
offense scored just 196 goals, which ranked second-to-last in the league.
A big part of their struggle was the reliance on their young talent to
produce offense.
Rookie Nick Bjugstad led the Panthers with 38 points, which set
an NHL record for futility. It is the lowest point total to ever lead a
team during an 82-game schedule. The 6-6 Bjugstad did manage to
finish 13th in the Calder Trophy voting, three spots ahead of teammate
Aleksander Barkov.
Barkov had his excellent rookie season cut short by a knee injury
suffered while playing for team Finland at the Sochi Olympics. He
excelled as the Panthers’ top center at just 18-years old, scoring 24 points
in 54 games. He’ll get additional support from the wing this season in the
form of countryman Jussi Jokinen, who signed as a free agent.
Another of the young prospects that the Panthers will rely on, 2013
Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau, struggled last season both
on offense and with a concussion. The opposition focused more on him
in the offensive zone, and teams were able to shut down his game. He
scored just 28 points in 69 games after scoring 31 during last year’s strikeshortened
season.
Tomas Fleischmann was supposed to be a veteran presence for
the youth to rely on in tough times, but he failed to display the scoring
prowess that he did in his first two seasons with the Panthers. After
scoring 96 points in his first 130 games with the team, he managed just
28 last season.
Veteran Scottie Upshall has been unable to stay healthy the past few
seasons but he was productive last year, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists.
He’ll play a solid role on the team’s third line.
It was another veteran, Brian Campbell, that contributed offense
from the point. He was second on the team in points (37) and led in
average ice-time by a significant margin. He may get some help if first
round pick Aaron Ekblad forces his way onto the NHL roster. The 18-year
old defenseman scored 53 points for the OHL’s Barrie Colts and had 113
points in 175 games for them.
Defense
The Panthers defense matched the offense by being second-to-last in
the league in goals allowed with 268, but there is hope for 2013-14 thanks
to a few big additions.
Veteran Willie Mitchell is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with
the Los Angeles Kings. Although knee problems kept him out of the 2012-
13 season, Mitchell proved a pivotal part of last year’s championship run
where he posted a +20 through the playoffs.
The Panthers drafted Ekblad with the number one pick in the draft
and he could contribute to the team this season. At 6-3 and 216 pounds.,
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Roberto Luongo
Bill Wippert/NHL/Getty Images